On May 14 2006, David Sharp climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest, a superhuman feat. On top of the tallest mountain in the world at 29, 028’ (8,850 M) it must have been a thrill- the Himalayas are mesmerizing.
After taking in the summit and all its beauty, David started the long decent down to camp. Unfortunately he got hit with altitude sickness and on the way down at 28,500’ (8, 686 M) and was left behind for dead by his team (who officially declared him dead). Sharp then crawled under a rock overhang next to a dead Indian climber for shelter. Other teams were attempting to summit that day and forty other climbers near the summit walked right past him and let him die. Some passed him twice, once on the way up to the summit and once on the way down.
Double-amputee climber Mark Inglis made it up and down safely and when interviewed by the media told of Sharp’s story. At the exact same time another climber was left for dead by his team, Australian climber Lincoln Hall. Luckily Hall was found alive by some other climbers who selflessly gave up their own summit attempt and stayed with him until a party of 12 sherpas came to carry him down. (Hall did made it and is now ok.)
Hall lived and Sharp died. Hall was rescued by kind climbers and Sharp was passed by selfish climbers. The morality of Everest is under attack.
I say to all of those who judge the climbers who walked past Sharp on the mountain that day: you can only judge if you have been at altitude on a climb. I have been to Everest and lived and worked with the Sherpa for a month, they are the kindest and warmest people you can ever meet. If Sharp looked like he was alive and a rescue was possible, they would have done it. Several people did stop and help, two climbers even gave him some of their own oxygen, but they were confused and thought he was with another team, not stranded. Sharp was not responding clearly enough for them to think otherwise. Later on Sharp was laying down next to the dead Indian climber and was presumed dead. There is much confusion at altitude where the oxygen is thin. Hall was not in as bad of shape and was more responsive, was in a less confusing situation and made it.
Sir. Edmund Hillary and Jon Krakauer (of Into Thin Air fame) have loudly complained that tragedies like this are the result of the commercialization of Everest. This is not the commercialization of Everest, this is the popularity of Everest; people want to do Everest and it gets crowded. Statistically more people die on Everest in the 1960s when nobody was on the mountain than they do today when it is crowded. David Sharp most likely would have walked past himself. David Sharp would also most likely also have stopped to help Lincoln Hall.
Most professional climbers disagree with Hillary and Krakauer’s criticism. But some "real" climbers now want to keep the "paying" climbers off the mountain. Let me tell you, every "paying" climber I met was an amazing person who was in amazing shape with lots of experience. Anyone who trains, has some experience, and is willing to pay for an expedition should be allowed on the mountain. They just have to understand the risks that they could end up like David Sharp. I am sure that David Sharp knew and understood those risks. I don’t think we should condemn the people on the mountain that day.
Lastly, I have climbed several mountains, been at high altitude, have even been to Everest (not to the top) and some of my friends have asked me: “What if I was on a summit push that day, what would I do?”
I would have given some spare oxygen to Sharp if I though he was alive (and if I had some spare oxygen) and moved on. I walked past a climber in very bad shape at about 14,000 feet on Mt. Rainer. I stopped and said "Are you all right dude?" He said "No, but I will be ok, I’ll be going down with my guide when he returns from the summit." At that point lacking any emergency equipment and oxygen myself, not to mention the severe pain I was in, I moved on. (He did make it down, I checked.)
Could this guy have been another David Sharp? The fact of the matter is this: people on the mountain have to make life or death decisions and sometimes the correct decision is to move on. The world may not want to hear that but that is the simple truth.
Posted by Steve, in New York.
Editors Note: Read what Garry Porter has to say about this in our interview here.